DNA Transfection by Electroporation

Electroporation, which uses pulsed electrical fields, can be used to introduce DNA into a variety of animal cells, plant cells, and bacteria. Electroporation works well with cell lines that are refractory to other transfection techniques, such as lipofection and calcium phosphate–DNA coprecipitation. But, as with other transfection methods, the optimal conditions for electroporating DNA into untested cell lines must be determined empirically. Several different electroporation instruments are available commercially, and manufacturers supply detailed protocols for their use with specific cell types and guidelines for optimization with others. This method describes the conditions for electroporating mammalian cell lines using the Gene Pulser Xcell Electroporation System (Bio-Rad).